Method of forming truncated conical paper cups



March 30, 1954 w MB ET AL 2,673,496

METHOD OF FORMING TRUNCATED CONICAL PAPER CUPS Filed Feb. 9, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS.

transverse spoon serviceable motion of the fluid in the .the dissolving and mixing entire interior of said paper and serviceable by a conventional spoon so that all of the contents thereof may be removed by the mentioned 1 angles. when it fatentecl Mar. 30, i954 METHOD OF FORMI CONICAL P Walter E. Amberg,

Stephen W. Amber to Lily-Tulip cup of Delaware Application February 9, 1950, Serial No.

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a truncated conical paper cup having a substantially transverse spoon serviceable bottom and I the same.

the method of forming In Patent NO. 2,473,840 dated June 21, 1949,

I'therb is disclosed and claimed a truncated conical single piece paper cup having a substantially bottom which produces new, useful and unexpected results which annot be produced by conventional pointed or blunted conical paper cups. cessible portions into which syrup may collect or settle when the contents of the paper cup are agitated for mixing purposes.

The bottom of that paper cup also directs the cup When agitated for suspending dissolvable solids or syrup to aid in thereof. Further, the cup is accessible to It eliminates inacdissolvable solids or spoon. Said paper cup is ideally suited for soda fountain use for serving sodas, mixed drinks and the like. It has had a remarkable commercial success and has made a tremendous impact on the art.

The truncated conical single piece paper cup of the aforementioned patent is of less than sixty degree angle and the substantially transverse ,spoon serviceable bottom is formed by circumferentially gathering and pleating the paper of an appreciable portion of the acute angled side gathered and pleated to form a spoon serviceable bottom of predetermined diameter.

- H As a practical commercial matter, therefore, the diameter of the spoon serviceable bottom and the relationship between the diameter of the spoon serviceable bottom and the cone angle of the truncated frusto-conical single piece paper cup, formed in the manner set forth in the aforepatent, are limited. Manufacturing difiiculties are encountered in regularly gathering and pleating the necessarily large amounts of paper required to form strong and neat appearing spoon serviceable bottoms of very large diameters or in paper cups of extremely small cone The problem becomes particularly acute NG TRUNCATED APER CUPS Beverly Shores, Ind., and Barrington, Ill assignors orporation, a corporation is attempted to provide very large diam- 2 eter spoon serviceable bottoms on paper cups having very small cone angles.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a new method of forming a truncated conical single piece paper cup having a substantially transverse spoon serviceable bottom wherein the spoon serviceable bottom may be larger and the cone angle smaller than heretofore commercially practicable.

into a substantially transverse annular surface. The internally located extension is compressed into a substantially transverse surface merging with the substantially transverse annular surface. In this way large amounts of paper at the apexial end of the conical paper side wall may be uniformly gathered, pleated, and compressed into a strong and neat appearing spoon serviceable bottom. Commercially practicable large diameter spoon serviceable bottoms thus may be readily provided on paper cups having small cone angles. The spoon serviceable bottom thus formed has an annular portion provided with substantially radially disposed pleats and a central portion provided with substantially circumferentially disposed pleats, which are so compressed as to provide a substan tially smooth inner surface.

A further object of this invention resides in the construction of the truncated conical paper cup accordance with the meth- 0d of this invention. In accordance with this object of the invention the truncated conical single piece paper cup of less than sixty degree angle includes an acute angled substantially smooth frusto-conical side wall and a substantially transverse spoon serviceable pleated bottom merging with the side wall, the bottom having an annular portion provided withsubstantially radially disposed pleats and a central portion'provided with substantially circumferentially disposed pleats. While the inner surface of the substantially transverse spoon serviceable bottom is preferably concave, such as rounded, it may be of any other desired shape.

The truncated conical paper cup of this inven tion is particularly useful as a cofifee cup when it is of relatively small height, has a relatively .3 large spoon serviceable bottom and has a relatively small cone angle. In fact, the conical paper cup of this invention may be adaptable to innumerable uses by varying the dimensions of height, width, and cone angle, all of which may be conveniently done within the method of this invention.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the accompanying specification, claims, and drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective bottom view showing the outside of a paper cup of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view illustrating the inside of the paper cup;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view partly in section of the paper cup of this invention;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of a conventional conical paper cup which may be utilized for forming the paper cup of this invention;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view partly in sectionillustrating the condition of the paper cup of this invention at an intermediate stage in the formation thereof;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view illustrating one manner in which a conical paper cup is provided with an internally located extension;

Fig. '7 illustrates one manner in which the in ternally located extension may be compressed; and

Fig. 8 illustrates one manner in which the spoon serviceable bottom may be finally formed.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 3, the truncated conical single piece paper cup of this invention is generally designated at 10. acute angled, substantially smooth frusto-oonical side wall I I of less than sixty degree angle. The large end of the paper cup may be embossed as at 12 and provided with a suitable rim iii, if so desired. A sub-stantially transverse spoon serviceable bottom I4 merges with the side wall H. The bottom M has an annular portion 15 including a plurality of apexially and circumferentially gathered and radially disposed pleats H3. In order to provide a clear line of demarcation between the spoon serviceable bottom and the side wall, the juncture between the two may be provided with an offset II. The annular portion 15 of the spoon serviceable bottom terminates inwardly in a transverse, compressed central portion l8. central portion 18 has apexially and circumferentially gathered and circumferentially disposed pleats 19 which generally are located on the inher side of the paper cup to form a relatively smooth bottom, the pleats from the pleats 14 by an annular depression 29. The bottom of the paper cup may be externally provided with suitable depressions for ornamental characteristics and for assisting in the disguising of the cireumferentially arranged pleats.

The inner surface of the spoon serviceable bottom [4 is preferably concave, such as rounded, as illustrated, but of course other desired shape.

The manner of forming the truncated conical single piece paper cup of this invention is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. The paper cup is preferably formed from a conical paper cup as illustrated in Fig. 4, which cup has an apex 25. The apexial end of the conical paper cup is inverted into an internally located extension, as illustrated in Fig. 5. This internally located extension may be frusto-conical in configuration, as illustrated at 26, and may have a reentrant conical portion 21. The portion of the conical paper side wall adja- It includes an 5 This l5 being separated it may be of any cent the internally located extension is circumferentially gathered into the substantially transverse annular surface l5 having the substantially radially disposed pleats IS. The internally located extension is then compressed into the substantially transverse surface l8 merging with the substantially transverse annular surface l5, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

Any suitable means may be utilized for so forming the conical paper cup of this invention. Of course, such a conical paper cup may be formed by hand. Figs. 6, 7 and 8 illustrate dies which may be utilized for performing the method on a commercially productive basis.

In Fig. 6 the conical paper cup may be placed over a male die having a frusto-conical surface 3|, a curved annular surface 32, and a central opening 33. A female die 34 has an internal frusto-conical surface 35 for holding the conical paper cup against the frusto-conical surface 3| of the male die 30. The female die 34 is provided with a central opening 36 for slidably receiving a plunger 31 which, in turn, is provided with a central conical opening 38. After the female die 34 has been operated to hold the conical paper cup on the male die 35, the plunger 31 is operated to carry the apexial end of the conical paper cup into the central opening 33 in the male die. In so doing the internally located extension having the frusto-conical portion 2.5 and the conical portion 21 is provided. At the same time the side wall of the conical paper cup is apexially and. circumierentially gathered over the curved annular surface 32 and such gathering is afforded by the formation of substantially radially disposed pleats.

After the internally located extension is thus rovided on the paper cup it is removed from the dies illustrated in Fig. 6 and may be applied to the dies illustrated in Fig. '7. A female die 40 oi Fig. 7 is provided with an internal frustoconical surface 4| terminating in a shoulder 43. A. curved annular surface 42 lies between the shoulder 43 and a central recess 44. The die construction of Fig. 7 also uses a male die 45 having an external frusto-conical surface 46 terminating in a ledge 41. A curved surface 4%} lies between the ledge 41 and a central opening 49. The plunger 53 is slidably received in the central opening 49. The paper cup having the internally located extension is inserted in the female die 40 and is held in place therein by the male die 45 through the interaction of the frusto-conical surfaces 4| and 46. The surfaces 43 and 4'! form the offset H in the paper cup and the surfaces 32 and 23 form the pleated annular portion of the spoon serviceable bottom. The internally located extension of the paper cup is received in the central opening 49 of the male die. Th plunger 50 is then advanced and in so doing it compresses the internally located extension into the centrally located pocket 44 to form the substantially transverse surface 18 merging with the substantially transverse annular surface l5 of the paper cup. When the internally located extension is thus compressed the paper thereof is pleated into substantially circumferentially arranged pleats.

In order to finally finish the spoon serviceable bottom the paper cup may be removed from the dies of Fig. '7 and inserted in the dies of Fig. 8. In Fig. 8 a female die is provided with a frustoconical surface 56, a shoulder 58, a curved annular surface 5"! and a transverse surface 59 having suitable raised portions for embossing the bottom of the paper cup. A mal die 60 is provided with The coacting curved surfaces 5'! and 65 press and finally form the annular portion l5 of the spoon serviceable bottom and likewise the surfaces 56 and 59 press and finally form the central portion I8 of the spoon serviceable bottom. The raised portions in the central surface 59 emboss the central portion 18 of the spoon serviceable bottom into the desired design.

When the internally located extension of the paper cup is compressed into th central portion by the die structures of Figs. 7 and 8, thereof is upset or swaged into the central bottom portion i8. This upsetting or swag-ing action operates to firmly compress and unite the paper fibers to form an extremely compact and solid spoon serviceable bottom.

Obviously the sizes and shapes of the dies may be varied to produce different sizes and shapes of paper cups. In accordance with the method of this invention large amounts of paper at the apexial end of the conical paper side wall may be uniformly gathered, pleated and compressed into strong and neat appearing spoon serviceable bottoms of very large diameters or in paper cups of extremely small cone angles.

While for We claim as our invention:

1. The method of forming a spoon serviceable bottom in a conical paper cup of less than sixty degree angle comprising inverting an appreciable portion of the acute angled conical paper side wall at the apexial end of the conical paper cup into an internally located extension, and compressing the internally located extension into a substantially transverse surface.

2. The method of forming a spoon serviceable bottom in a conical paper cup of less than sixty degree angle comprising inverting an appreciable portion of the acute angled conical paper side wall at the apexial end of the conical paper cup into an internally located frusto-conical extension having a reentrant conical portion, and compressing the internally located extension into a substantially transverse surface.

3. The method of forming a spoon serviceable bottom in a conical paper cup of less than sixty degree angle comprising inverting an appreciable portion of the acute angled conical paper side wall at the apexial end of the conical paper cup into an internally located extension, circumferentially gathering a portion of the acute angled conical paper side wall adjacent the internally located extension into a substantially transverse annular surface, and compressing the internally located extension into a substantially transverse surface merging with the substantially transverse annular surface.

4. The method of forming a spoon serviceable bottom in a conical paper cup of less than sixty degree angle comprising inverting an appreciable portion of the acute angled conical paper side wall at the apexial end of the conical paper cup paper side wall adjacent the internally located extension into a substantially transverse annular surface, and compressing the internally located extension into a substantially transverse annular surface.

5. The method of forming a truncated conical paper cup of less than sixty degree angle having an acute angled frusto-conical side Wall merging at its smaller end in a spoon serviceable bottom comprising inverting an appreciable portion of the side wall of an acute angled conical paper cup of less than sixty degree angle at the apexial end thereof into an internally located extension, internally located extension into a substantially transverse surface.

6. The method of forming a truncated conical paper cup of less than sixty degree angle having an acute angled frusto-conical side wall merging at its smaller end in a spoon serviceable bottom comprising inverting an appreciable portion of extension into a substantially transverse surface.

7. The method of forming a truncated conical paper cup of less than sixty degree angle having an acute angled frusto-conical side wall merging at its smaller end in a spoon serviceable bottom comprising inverting an appreciable portion of ing the internally located extension into a substantially transverse surface merging with the substantially transverse annular surface.

8. The method of forming a truncated conical paper cup of less than sixty degree angle having an acute angled frusto-conical side wall merging at its smaller end in a spoon serviceable bottom comprising inverting an appreciable portion of the side wall of an acute angled conical paper degree angle at the apexial extension 'into a substantially transverse annular surface, and compressing the internally located extension into a substantially transverse surface merging with the substantially transverse annular surface.

WALTER E. AMBERG. STEPHEN W. AMBERG.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 

